There are five main types of air conditioner to choose between in Perth: split systems for single rooms, multi head split systems for several rooms, ducted reverse cycle for the whole home, ducted evaporative for whole-home cooling in our dry climate, and portable units as a stopgap. The right one depends on how much of the home you want to condition, whether you want heating as well as cooling, and your budget. This guide explains each type in plain English so you can shortlist with confidence.
Air conditioning has more jargon per square metre than almost any home purchase, and most of it describes the same few machines. Once you understand the handful of genuine types of air conditioners on the market, the decision usually makes itself.
The five main types of air conditioners in Australia
Every option you will be quoted in Perth is one of these: a wall-mounted split system, a multi head split system, a ducted reverse cycle system, a ducted evaporative system, or a portable air conditioner. Everything else you hear, inverter, refrigerated, wall hung, window box, is a variation or an older cousin of one of the five. Let’s take them one at a time.
Split system air conditioners: the single-room workhorse
A split system is the familiar indoor unit on the wall paired with an outdoor unit, and it is the most installed of all the types of air conditioner in Australian homes. It cools and, in almost every modern case, heats a single room or open-plan zone, it is efficient, and it is the most affordable system to buy and install. The trade-off is coverage: one split conditions one area. They suit bedrooms, living rooms, home offices and additions, and many households run two or three around the home. Browse our range of split system air conditioners to see the sizes and brands we install, including Daikin, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric and Panasonic.
Multi head split systems: several rooms, one outdoor unit
A multi head split system runs two to five indoor units from a single outdoor unit. You get individual control in each room without a row of outdoor units along the wall, which makes it a clever answer for townhouses, apartments and homes without the roof space for ducting. It sits between a single split and ducted in both capability and price, and our multi head split system guide covers it in full. Of all the types of air conditioners, this is the one most Perth buyers have never been told exists.
Ducted reverse cycle: whole-home comfort
Ducted air conditioning hides the machinery in the roof space and delivers conditioned air through ceiling vents in every room, with the home divided into zones you can run independently. Reverse cycle means it heats in winter and cools in summer from the same system, so it replaces heaters as well. It is the most comfortable and most complete of the types of air conditioner, and the biggest to install. See our ducted air conditioning systems page for how a system is designed, and our explainer on how reverse cycle air conditioning works if you want the mechanics.
Ducted evaporative: Perth’s dry-climate special
Evaporative cooling works by drawing hot air through wet filter pads, which cools it naturally before it flows through the home, with windows cracked open rather than sealed shut. Perth’s dry summer air is ideal for it, which is why evaporative cooling remains popular here long after it faded in humid states. It cools the whole house cheaply and brings in fresh air rather than recirculating it, but it only cools, and it loses its edge on humid days. Among the types of air conditioners on this list, it is the one whose performance depends most on the local climate, and in Perth the climate says yes more often than not. Read our evaporative air conditioning page for the systems we supply and service, or our explainer on how evaporative air conditioning works.
Portable air conditioners: the honest stopgap
A portable air conditioner is a wheeled unit with an exhaust hose you run out a window. It needs no installation, which is its whole appeal: renters, single hot rooms and temporary situations are its natural home. Be realistic about the rest. A portable air conditioner is the least efficient and the noisiest of the types of air conditioner, and the window kit undoes some of the cooling it produces. As a permanent answer for a room you use daily, a small split system outperforms it in every way except the upfront spend.
How to choose between the types of air conditioner
Start with three questions. How much of the home are you conditioning? One room points to a split system, several rooms to a multi head system, the whole home to ducted. Do you want winter heating from the same system? Reverse cycle systems heat and cool; evaporative only cools. What is your priority? If a simpler, lower-commitment install matters most, a split leans that way, while whole-home comfort points to ducted. Layer in the practical constraints, roof space, outdoor wall space, rental rules, and the shortlist usually collapses to one sensible answer. If it does not, that is exactly the conversation to have with an installer who will look at the actual house.
Talk it through with a local team
Our licensed local team installs and services every system type on this page across Joondalup and the wider Perth area, north and south of the river, so we have no barrow to push: we will recommend the type that fits your home, not the one on special. Start at our air conditioning Perth hub, or call the team on (08) 6200 9718 for honest local advice.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main types of air conditioner for homes?
What does reverse cycle actually mean?
Is evaporative cooling still worth it in Perth?
Which types of air conditioners are cheapest to run?
Ready to narrow it down? Read our multi head split system guide and our explainer on how reverse cycle air conditioning works, or talk to our Perth team about which system fits your home.
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